La Porte Texas History:
In 1892, a group of men formed a real estate venture, purchased land, and established the town of La Porte. They named it La Porte, for “The Door” in French. The town is situated on the northwest shore of Trinity Bay, an inland extension of Galveston Bay. The population grew to 537 in two years. A disastrous fire and hurricane destroyed the downtown business district in 1915. During the 1920s and 1930s the Sylvan Amusement Park’s big bands, dances and beauty pageants attracted visitors from all over Texas and the nation. Up until World War II the economy was based on the amusement park and summer residents. Residents found work at neighboring shipyards and petrochemical companies. The town began to grow after the establishment of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, and the construction of the Baytown Channel, and the 1953 construction of the La Porte-Baytown Tunnel which connected the La Port and Baytown via SH 225/SH 146. The 2.6 mile long SH 146/SH 225 Fred Hartman Bridge replaced the tunnel in 1995. In 1970, La Porte had 7,149 residents, and grew to 27,910 by 1990. La Porte is home to the Battleship Texas State Historic Site and the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site and Monument. La Porte is located at the intersection of SH 225 and SH 146, 26 miles southeast of Houston, 14.5 miles southeast of Pasadena, 23 miles southeast of Sheldon, 8 miles southwest of Baytown, 35 miles northwest of Galveston, 24 miles northwest of Texas City, 7.7 miles north of Seabrook, 9 miles north of Kemah, 26 miles northeast of Pearland, 15 miles northeast of League City, and 46 miles east of Sugar Land, Texas.

Historic La Porte, a Texas Main Street City:
The Texas Historical Commission selects Texas Main Street Cities. Selected cities receive funds to revitalize their historic downtown areas. This outstanding program has contributed to the revitalization of small and large towns across Texas. Towns establish a local main street program and appoint a coordinator who assists businesses in the restoration of their building fronts, and works with businesses to plan events to attract residents and visitors to the downtown area. (281) 470-5017. Main Street hosts Sidewalk Saturdays throughout the year, Art Walk on Main the first Saturday of each month, the sunset Sip and Stroll Farmers Market on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays, Mardi Gras on Main on the 3rd Saturday in February, the Airing of the Quilts on the 3rd Saturday in April, and Christmas on Main the first Thursday in December. 604 West Fairmont Parkway, 77571. Email

Lynchburg to Baytown Ferry Service:
Nathaniel Lynch established the ferry service around 1830. Harris County has operated this free ferry service since 1888. The ferry operates on the San Jacinto River ferrying vehicles between Lynchburg and the San Jacinto State Historic Site & Battleship Texas SHS in La Porte. The 12 vehicle capacity William P. Hobby and Ross S. Sterling ferryboats were built by the Todd Shipyard in 1964. The ferry operates Mon-Fri, 4:30am-8pm; Sat-Sun, 11am-6:30pm; closed major holidays including New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial and Labor Days, July 4th, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The trip takes 7 to 10 minutes. Lynchburg is located south of IH-10 on an inlet extending into Burnet Bay across the water from the San Jacinto Monument. The Baytown Ferry is located at 1001 S. Lynchburg Road. The San Jacinto Ferry is located on SH 134 (Battleground Road), La Porte. (281) 424-3521. Lynchburg Map; Click to EnlargeLynchburg Area Map